Heavy, wet snow brings dangerous road conditions, power outages ...

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Snowfall warnings in areas west of Calgary call for accumulations possibly reaching 50 centimetres.

Published Apr 30, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  3 minute read

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Wet, heavy snow led to power outages and snow-covered highways in the Calgary region, which remains under a special weather statement, while areas west of the city under a snowfall warning brace for accumulations reaching 50 centimetres.

As of 9:30 a.m., Enmax reported 184 customers without power in all parts of Calgary, with some of the outages due to what the utility called “adverse weather conditions” while others were still being investigated.

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More than 2,000 customers were disconnected from the power grid at the height of the outages early Tuesday.

In an emailed statement, Enmax said its system can withstand temperature variations and other extreme weather conditions including heavy snowfall. “However, downed branches and trees can pose a risk to power lines and public safety.”

“Our team is working to restore power quickly and safely,” said Enmax.

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Meanwhile, a number of highways in the Calgary region mainly south and west of the city were partly or totally covered by snow and ice as mid-morning Tuesday, with many roads experiencing poor visibility, according to 511 Alberta.

The Alberta Motor Association said call volumes are slightly above normal for Calgary as of 9:30 a.m., and volumes are below normal for Lethbridge and Medicine Hat this time of year.

“Calls are the usual mix of boosts and tows, and we’re currently not seeing anything out of the ordinary,” the emailed statement read.

One school south of the city will be closed Tuesday. Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School asked students, employees and contractors not to attend its campus “due to continued heavy snow fall and dangerous road conditions surrounding the school,” it said it a written statement issued to the media early in the day.

The current bout of snowfall was expected to taper off Tuesday morning, Environment Canada said, with another round of heavy snow to begin in the evening along the foothills before spreading east and continuing through Wednesday.

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As much as 30 to 50 cm of snow possible in areas west of Calgary

Areas west of Calgary remained under a snowfall warning Tuesday morning, with the latest forecasts calling for accumulations possibly reaching half a metre.

“This long duration snowfall event could produce total snowfall amounts as high as 30 to 50 cm,” Environment Canada said in its warnings for parts of Kananaskis Country, the Municipal District of Bighorn, Foothills County and the Municipal District of Willow Creek.

Snow in those regions will become lighter through Wednesday night before tapering off to flurries by Thursday evening, forecasters said.

“Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations,” the warning said. “Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.”

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Meanwhile, a special weather statement covering the city of Calgary was expanded by Tuesday morning to include regions almost as far north as Edson and stretching down to the U.S. border, between the Rocky Mountains and Highway 2.

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Snowfall amounts from 10 to 25 centimetres were possible by Thursday, forecasters said, with higher snowfall amounts west of Highway 2.

“The snow will be heavy and wet, and will be mixed with rain in some areas, so total snowfall accumulations will vary widely,” the weather office said.

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Wednesday’s snow was expected to be more intense, according to Alysa Pederson, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Alberta with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“Think your spring snow, your big flakes, big wet, fluffy snow,” she told Postmedia on Monday.

Pederson said that while the weather this week is “a little bit on the crazier side,” it is not uncommon to see this kind of weather swing in Alberta.

The longer-term forecast calls for more spring-like weather by the weekend, with sunshine and temperatures reaching into the double-digits.

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